What Shouldn't Be
by Rowena of Naxen
Summary: Elle Piper and Evan of Deerhorn are complete opposites - she's a wanna-be Rogue and he's the next Lord Provost. A tale of two people in the Lower City of Corus. Underlying Beka/Rosto. Re-write of 'Different' Please read and review.
1. Run

**What Shouldn't Be **Chapter 1:Run

Elle Piper ran through the streets of the Lower City, her heart pounding. Mud and muck splashed and clung to her dress, face and hair, but she only payee attention to the steady rhythm of her boots on the road and the wind whistling through her ears. She stumbled and almost fell, reaching out to catch herself, and looked over her shoulder. She couldn't see them yet, but in the eerie silence their footfalls echoed, their whispers and the sniffs of the dogs-_bloodhounds_-were amplified for her ears.

She wrenched herself to her feet, starting off again, trying to run quieter. Her legs ached, her head spun, and the amulet she had just stolen bounced against her chest with every step. Stopping abruptly, she tip-toed into an alleyway, splashing through a puddle so (maybe) the bloodhounds wouldn't catch her scent. Once inside the alleyway she spotted an old crate and sat down on it gingerly.

Elle fingered the expensive necklace at her throat. It had been no easy job to get it, but get it she had. And maybe, just maybe, that would prove to her father that he should give her a place in his Court.

Her mother would scream, of course. She would yell at Elle and implore Mithros and the Goddess and ask how any daughter of hers could be reduced to _stealing_. And then she'd realize how silly that sounded and turn to glare at Elle's father.

Rosto the Piper would try to look like he was disappointed with his daughter, like he _knew_ he should be, but secretly his dark eyes would shine and he'd be glad that one of his children had followed in his footsteps. And that would make it all worth it.

Suddenly loud footsteps neared her hiding place. She rose silently, two daggers sliding into her palms in case she had to defend herself from drunken cutthroats or common thieves.

Her pursuers rounded the corner, and suddenly she could see her target. But it wasn't the target she'd been expecting.

Dogs. And her mother was among them.

**Disclaimer (applies to all chapters): I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's recognizable characters or the setting. However, the OC's and the plot are mine**

_A/N: So this is the first chapter of my re-write of _Different_. Elle is a bit different but her character will have more depth, which makes me happy. And Evan will make an appearance later, in chapter 2 or 3. I think this one is going to be better but tell me what you think. Review! -rowena_


	2. Caught

**What Shouldn't Be** Chapter 2: Caught

The second Beka's eyes met her daughter's she rolled them. But she did nothing more as her fellow Dogs surrounded Elle.

"Hand over the stolen goods," one tough-looking cove said, and Elle reluctantly took off the necklace. She'd spoken too soon-she couldn't steal something so valuable as that amulet. She was a terrible thief-they had caught her, and they would take her to the cages, and her father would never giver her a place in his Court. Because good thieves weren't caught.

She would have run, but there was no way she could with the Dogs surrounding her. One of the mots grabbed her wrists and began to tie them with her cords.

Elle sighed. They'd take her to trial, trial for a stupid necklace that they had back now anyways. And with the evidence she'd be sentenced.

Her mother would never live this down.

*****

Beka Cooper had to work hard to keep her face impassive as she saw her daughter's wrists tied like a common criminal. But then again, her daughter _was_ a common criminal.

How had this happened? When she was little all Elle had wanted to do was help people. In fact, she'd dreamed of being a lady knight like Beka's friend Lady Sabine. She'd wanted to be powerful and help people.

And then Beka'd had to explain to her that she couldn't be a knight because she wasn't a noble. And Elle had developed a new dream…and a hatred for all things noble.

Now Elle wanted to be Rogue. She wanted to be a queen of thieves, like the tales her mother had told her of Pearl Skinner, only a good Queen. She didn't want to dethrone Rosto, she wanted to succeed him when he quit, as he someday would. (No one had any hope of besting him in a fight.)

As Beka watched Elle marched off to the kennels she couldn't help but wonder when her sweet little girl had turned into a thief of the sort that could be marched off to the cages without so much as blinking an eye.

**Disclaimer: the one in the first chapter applies to all chapters, just reminding.**

_A/N: Since everyone seems to like this fic better than _Different_ I am continuing with it. Yay! Sorry for the cliffy on the last chapter and the somewhat cliffy on this one-I know it's short too but the next one will be up soon. Now c'mon, click the little review button, I know you want to!_


	3. Trial

**What Shouldn't Be **Chapter 3: Trial

Evan of Deerhorn surveyed the courtroom. From the high chair where the Lord Magistrate sat he could see all the Provost Guards's-Dogs, that's what they called themselves, he corrected mentally-all the Dogs, the prisoners behind the cells and the common folk waiting outside.

He cleared his throat and stood. Immediately all the papers being shuffled were quiet and everyone in the room stood still.

"I am Sir Evan of Deerhorn," he announced. "Lord Gershom is mentoring me to replace him as the Lord Provost when he retires, so today I am filling in for the Magistrate as part of my training." He paused and sat, though everyone else in the room remained standing. Then he cleared his throat again and looked out at the seats. "Court has begun."

Evan dispensed the expected sentences for the assortment of criminals presented to him. That is, until he got to the last prisoner before the break for the midday meal.

It was a girl. A girl of the age where she should have been a wife with a newborn babe in the Lower City. Not the age of someone who's a pickpocket or thief. But her strangeness, how unusual and different and yet appealing she was to him, it went beyond just that.

It was her hair, her eyes. He would have bet five gold nobles she was at least part Scanran. She had pale blond hair, almost white, which was falling out of its loose braid and into her eyes, a smooth icy blue, unnatural but perfect.

The girl-he didn't know her name-was meeting his gaze steadily. She stuck out her chin in defiance, practically _daring_ him to sentence her.

He looked down at his list and silently read off her name.

_Elle Piper_

Elle Piper. Lord Gershom had told Evan about this one. Guardswoman Rebakah Cooper's daughter by the Corus Rouge, Rosto the Piper. Elle was the youngest of their three children, and the elder two were boys who'd decided to follow in their mother's footsteps and join the Provost's Guard.

Apparently Elle hadn't made the same decision.

Evan raised his head. The famed Dog, Beka Cooper, sat in the second row, her back ramrod straight. Her braid, unlike her daughter's, didn't have a single hair out of place. Her unreal silver-blue eyes were tight with anger-at him or at her daughter, Evan couldn't tell.

One of her sons sat a couple of rows back, noticeable because of his light brown hair, the same shade as hers. His younger brother sat with his Senior Dogs, as he was still a trainee, but Evan knew they were related. Their dark eyes and wide mouths were almost identical, as were their current expressions-glaring eyes and tight-lipped, unsmiling mouths.

One of the Dogs stood up and began reporting on Elle's criminal offense, but Evan kept watching those three. Her brothers were obviously embarrassed and ashamed, but Beka was harder to read. She seemed both worried for and ashamed of her beautiful daughter.

Evan wondered where Elle's father was. And then, just as the report ended, he saw him. Rosto the Piper stood at the back of the crowd outside the courtroom, but he was still a foreboding sight. Pale blond hair framed his dark eyes, which were focused with complete seriousness on Evan.

Evan gulped. He was sure the Piper knew his daughter had done wrong, but he also didn't want his throat cut in the middle of the night. He'd heard tell of things the King of the Thieves did to those who harmed his family, thought getting into the Provost's House where Evan was staying would hardly be a smart-or easy-thing to do.

Evan swallowed and looked up. "The stolen property was returned?" he asked. Someone nodded. Evan shuffled his papers. "I should hope Mistress Piper has learned her lesson regarding stealing. As she is young, I shall let her off-" his eyes met Elle's in a steely glare "-this time."

**Disclaimer: not mine, etc. etc. **

_A/N: Ta-da! Chapter 3! Sorry for the cliffy but they're ever so fun to write. And Evan makes an appearance at last-but not how we remember him! Tell me what you think of the new him. Updates will be more frequent now 'cause the play I was in is over, just for your information. Please review and tell me what you think or if you find any grammar issues or typos, let me know. Enjoy and review! -rowena_


	4. Ungrateful

**What Shouldn't Be **Chapter 4: Ungrateful

The next day Beka tried to keep Elle in the house by giving her an ungodly amount of chores to do. She also told her daughter that if she didn't get them done she would kick her out of the house.

That didn't worry Elle.

So she was sitting in the window of her room, her legs hanging out on the house wall, idly wondering if she should perhaps do half of the chores, or leave each one unfinished-which would bother Beka more?

She didn't purposefully want to bug her mother, but really-threatening to throw her out of the house if she didn't finish a few chores? That was a little bit much. Even if Beka and Elle both knew it was Beka's way of punishing her for her little necklace-stealing stint and Beka having to deal with the humiliation of having her daughter go before the Magistrate's Court.

She leaned back, her back touching the wall inside and her feet dangling outside. Humiliation. That was something her mother simply couldn't bear.

Praise she could handle. Praise and criticism but not humiliation.

Elle looked around the small room. It had been her mothers, rented when she was a Puppy and in her first few years as a Dog until Rosto bought the house and she moved in with him. And even when Beka was a Puppy she'd been good at what she did-why couldn't Elle say the same?

Disappointing her mother didn't bother her, she did that daily. Disappointing her father was a different story.

All of a sudden the sound of hoot beats in the street below her reached Elle's ears. She sat up abruptly, almost banging her head on the top of the window, and looked down.

Her mouth tightened, her eyes narrowed when she saw who it was. Sir Evan of Deerhorn, she thought snidely. That slippery knight who'd treated her with such disdain when he'd judged her in Court.

His honey brown hair was in disarray as he jumped off his horse and into her yard. He strode over to the door and knocked on it, clearly purposefully ignoring the fact that she was sitting in her ledge a story above him. Elle rolled her eyes and slid off the ledge and into her room, banging down the stairs and finally answering the door.

"Oh, good. It's you." Sir Evan muttered sarcastically, his grey eyes cool.

Elle glared at him. "What do you want? I haven't got much time. I'm very busy with chores to do."

"Chores, you call it? Sitting in your window sill and watching people on the street? Must be very tiring." He snapped at her. His temper was getting the better of him while Elle remained cool and confident.

"Just say what you're hear to say and get out of my yard." Elle stated, acknowledging the fact that she hadn't invited him inside.

"I just wanted to tell you something, _Miss Piper_," he told her, his snooty noble voice made the title into an insult. "I let you off yesterday for the sake of your family. Specifically your mother and brothers, who have chosen an _honorable_ way to make a living."

"Yes." Elle said. "I know."

Evan looked shocked. "You're not going to thank me?" he said haughtily.

"Why should I? I didn't need to be saved."

"Because a pretty girl like you would have lasted so well on a work farm in the country, or in the cages for a while more."

"I would have been able to take care of myself."

"I doubt it." Elle seethed. He had no right to speak to her so! "You're lucky I let you off or your life would be cut pitifully short," Evan continued, oblivious to her anger. "So why don't you thank me now before I tell Lord Gershom-"

_Smack!_

Elle slapped Evan hard across the face, leaving a noticeable red handprint. She barely heard his indignant "How dare you!" before she shut the door in his face.

She walked away from the door with a smile. Suddenly she felt much better about the day.

**Disclaimer: It's not mine. Except Elle and Evan are my characters, but they're based off of the Tortall books so not really. But they're mine on **

_A/N: I'm back from a week of sun, surf, and sand (vacation!) with a new chapter! Actually I wrote this after I got back, but whatever. It turned out a bit differently than I'd planned-Evan's character took over for a bit-but I like it. Please tell me what you think! Only __**Tishica**__ and __**Navigator101**__ reviewed the last chapter, so special thanks to them!_

_Check out the community and forum __**Starzgirl**__ and I have started, __Beka and the Rogue__. Awesome Beka/Rosto stories and discussions! -rowena_

Anonymous Review Reply: ILoveBabbits-I am so sorry I didn't reply to your reviews for chapters 1 and 2! I hope you're still reading so you get this. I really appreciate your reviews but I was trying to finish the chapters quickly and post, so I forgot to reply. But thanks a million! I'm glad you like it better than 'Different', I do too! -rowena


	5. Make Him Proud

**What Shouldn't Be: **Chapter 5: Make Him Proud

Of course Elle's good day was ruined when her parents got home.

It was late, but she was still up. More correctly, she'd already gone to sleep, woken up and came downstairs because she couldn't get back to sleep. She was at the top of the stairs when she heard Beka and Rosto's hushed voices. She could only make out a few words, but it was enough to tell her they were talking about her.

A normal girl, a good daughter would have gone back upstairs and waited for sleep to come. Of course, Elle Piper was neither of those things, so she continued quietly down the stairs to hear what her parents were saying.

"…did we really not teach her better?" Beka's voice was low and worried.

"We taught her fine, but she's stubborn, like you. She'll do what she wants, but someday she'll find her way." Rosto was trying to calm his wife, but Elle was hurt-her father didn't think she was good at thievery?

"Stubborn like _me?_ Don't you dare try to blame this on _me_, Rosto the Piper. She's following in your footsteps, dirty, sullen path though it is." Beka was spitting fire, but her voice was still low-Elle shivered. Her mother was frighteningly calm when she was truly mad.

"Beka, calm down."

"I will not calm down! I had to put up with remarks all day about how I should stay home and work on keeping my daughter in line before I started hobbling Rats!" Elle heard her mother stand abruptly, her chair banging on the floor. "I just don't understand her! She's become an embarrassment, a humiliation!" Beka cried. "I'm glad she took your name."

Elle could picture her mothers eyes-steely and cold. All her life Beka had begged Elle to changer her surname to Cooper, and that hurt. She pressed a fist to her mouth and shrank into the shadows at the bottom of the stairs as her mother stomped past her. Elle watched Beka reach the landing and enter her bedroom before she turned and saw Rosto watching her.

She waited for a reproach, wide-eyed, but the Rogue was silent. He got out of his chair and started following her mother up the stairs. He stopped next to his daughter and looked down at her solemly.

"I really wish you'd gotten the necklace." He said quietly, and continued up the stairs.

Elle leaned back against the wall in shock, her knees buckling as the tears started to fall. She slid onto the floor, curled up like a child, and let the tears come.

Didn't Rosto see that all she wanted to do was make him proud?

**Disclaimer: surprise, surprise! I don't own it. except Elle and Evan, who are my characters on **

_A/N: I know it's been a while since I updated – __**Navigator101**__ reminded me – but I've been focusing on my _Maximum Ride_ fanfiction. However I wanted to update this before school starts and I have no free time to update! I know it's a short chapter, but I wanted to put this scene in. Thanks to the four of you who reviewed, but I'd like to point out that the traffic says the last chapter had 120 visitors, and more reviews would make me update quicker. –rowena_

Anonymous Review Reply: **ILoveBabbits – **I had to thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and hope you like this one! -rowena


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